Basic fibroblast growth factor mediates carotid plaque instability through metalloproteinase-2 and –9 expression

OBJECTIVE(S): We hypothesized that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) may exert a role in carotid plaque instability by regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). METHODS: Plaques obtained from 40 consecutive patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy were preoperatively classified as soft or hard. Serum bFGF was pre- and postoperatively measured. The release of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the blood serum, and the activity, production and expression in the carotid specimens was analyzed. Specific anti-bFGF inhibition tests were performed in vitro on human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells (HUASMC) to evaluate the role of bFGF in the activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9. RESULTS: Twenty-one (53%) patients had a soft carotid plaque and 19 (48%) a hard plaque. Preoperative bFGF serum levels were higher in patients with soft plaques [soft=34 (28-39) pg/mL and hard=20 (17-22) pg/mL-p<0.001] and postoperatively returned to normal values (when compared to 10 healthy volunteers). The serum levels of MMP-2 in patients' with soft plaques were higher than those in patients' with hard plaques [soft=1222 (1190-1252) ng/mL and hard=748 (656-793)ng/mL-p<0.0001]. MMP-9 serum values were 26 (22-29) ng/mL for soft plaques and 18 (15-21) ng/mL for hard plaques (p<0.0001). We found increased activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9 in soft plaques compared to hard plaques (p<0.001). In vitro inhibition tests on HUASMC showed the direct influence of bFGF on the activity, production and expression of MMP-2 and -9 (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: bFGF seems to exert a key role in carotid plaque instability regulating the activity, production and expression of MMP thus altering the physiologic homeostasis of the carotid plaque

Phantom-based lumbar spine experimental investigation and validation of a multibody model

The study of the biomechanics of the human spine is not yet developed extensively. Recent developments in this field have heightened the need for observing the spine from a comprehensive perspective to understand the complex biomechanical patterns, which underlie the kinematic and dynamic responses of this multiple-joint column. Within this frame of exigence, a joint study embracing experimental tests and multibody modelling was designed. This study provides novel insights to the segmental contribution profiles in flexion and extension, analysing different forms of sagittal-plane angles. Moreover, the validation of the multibody model contributes to defining the key aspects for a consistent spine modelling as well as it introduces the basis for simulating pathological conditions and post-orthopaedic surgical outcomes

Reflection positive formulation of chiral gauge theories on a lattice

Gauge invariant chiral theories satisfying the reflection positivity is constructed on a lattice. This requires the introduction of "half gauge fields" defined some time ago by Brydges, Fr\"{o}hlich, and Seiler \cite{BFS}. A two-dimensional model is considered in some detail.Comment: 9 page

Sarcopenia: What a Surgeon Should Know

Sarcopenia is an increasingly frequent syndrome characterized by generalized and progressive loss of muscle mass, reduction in muscle strength, and resultant functional impairment. This condition is associated with increased risk of falls and fractures, disability, and increased risk of death. When a sarcopenic patient undergoes major surgery, it has a higher risk of complications and postoperative mortality because of less resistance to surgical stress. It is not easy to recognize a sarcopenic patient preoperatively, but this is essential to evaluate the correct risk to benefit ratio. The role of sarcopenia in surgical patients has been studied for both oncological and non-oncological surgery. For correct surgical planning, data about sarcopenia are essential to design a correct tailored treatment

Report on advances for pediatricians in 2018: allergy, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, hereditary metabolic diseases, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, neonatology, nutrition, respiratory tract disorders and surgery.

This review reported notable advances in pediatrics that have been published in 2018. We have highlighted progresses in allergy, cardiology, critical care, endocrinology, hereditary metabolic diseases, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, neonatology, nutrition, respiratory tract disorders and surgery. Many studies have informed on epidemiologic observations. Promising outcomes in prevention, diagnosis and treatment have been reported. We think that advances realized in 2018 can now be utilized to ameliorate patient car

Calculation of the continuum--lattice HQET matching for the complete basis of four--fermion operators: reanalysis of the B0B^{0}-Bˉ0\bar{B}^{0} mixing

In this work, we find the expressions of continuum HQET four-fermion operators in terms of lattice operators in perturbation theory. To do so, we calculate the one--loop continuum--lattice HQET matching for the complete basis of $\Delta B=2$ and $\Delta B=0$ operators (excluding penguin diagrams), extending and completing previous studies. We have also corrected some errors in previous evaluations of the matching for the operator $O_{LL}$. Our results are relevant to the lattice computation of the values of unknown hadronic matrix elements which enter in many very important theoretical predictions in $B$--meson phenomenology: $B^{0}$-$\bar{B}^{0}$ mixing, $\tau_{B}$ and $\tau_{B_{s}}$ lifetimes, SUSY effects in $\Delta B=2$ transitions and the $B_{s}$ width difference $\Delta \Gamma_{B_{s}}$. We have reanalyzed our lattice data for the $B_{B}$ parameter of the $B^{0}$-$\bar{B}^{0}$ mixing on 600 lattices of size $24^{3}\times 40$ at $\beta=6.0$ computed with the SW-Clover and HQET lattice actions. We have used the correct lattice--continuum matching factors and boosted perturbation theory with tadpole improved heavy--light operators to reduce the systematic error in the evaluation of the renormalization constants. Our best estimate of the renormalization scale independent $B$--parameter is $\hat{B}_{B} = 1.29 \pm 0.08 \pm 0.06$, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic coming from the uncertainty in the determination of the renormalization constants. Our result is in good agreement with previous results obtained by extrapolating Wilson data. As a byproduct, we also obtain the complete one--loop anomalous dimension matrix for four--fermion operators in the HQET.Comment: 34 pages, 1 figure. Revised version including the referee's comments. Some references have been also added. Accepted to be published in Nucl.Phys.B. No result change

B−BˉB - \bar B Mixing in the HQET

We present a high statistics, quenched lattice calculation of the B-parameters $B_{B_d}$ and $B_{B_s}$, computed at lowest order in the HQET. The results were obtained using a sample of 600 quenched gauge field configurations, generated by Monte Carlo simulation at $\beta=6.0$ on a $24^{3}\times 40$ lattice. For the light quarks the SW-Clover action was used; the propagator of the lattice HQET was also tree-level improved. Our best estimate of the renormalization scale independent B-parameter is $\hat{B}_{B_d} = 1.03 \pm 0.06 \pm 0.18$. $\hat{B}_{B_d}$ has been obtained by using ``boosted'' perturbation theory to calculate the renormalization constants which relate the matrix elements of the lattice operators to the corresponding amplitudes in the continuum. Due to the large statistics, the errors in the extraction of the matrix elements of the relevant bare operators are rather small. The main systematic error, corresponding to $\pm 0.18$ in the above result, comes from the uncertainty in the evaluation of the renormalization constants, for which the one-loop corrections are rather large. The non-perturbative evaluation of these constants will help to reduce the final error. We also obtain $\hat{B}_{B_s}/\hat{B}_{B_d} = 1.01 \pm 0.01$ and $f^2_{B_s}\hat{B}_{B_s}/f^2_{B_d}\hat{B}_{B_d} = 1.38 \pm 0.07$.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 2 figures, Small numerical errors corrected, no conclusions change